Ever wondered where the definitive archives of Britain’s most culturally and historically significant film productions are kept? Surely, the British Film Institute keeps its vast collection of immortal tales hidden away in an underground utopia of film, safeguarded by a platinum armoured sentry? If you were to ever encounter it, you would no doubt be greeted by such classics as Lawrence of Arabia and Get Carter. A reanimated Hitchcock would await your arrival open armed, ready to divulge any such quandary that appeared afore your mind, whilst the sound of Rule, Britannia! echoed across the hall.
Alas, what I am in fact alluding to is that, despite reasonable logic and demand, no such record of Britain’s filming merits exists – cue the cry of injustice. Indeed, what an injustice it is, for without Britain’s influence in the early years of cinema, the pioneering of motion-picture projection may have been severely stunted, occurring at a significantly slower rate.
To add insult to injury, it is well known that over in the States, The National Film Registry has been inducting and preserving 25 films of historical, cultural or aesthetic significance on an annual basis since 1988. The Americans even have a legislative committee who dictate what exactly qualifies as cultural or historic in a legal sense; whoever said that film doesn’t matter obviously never met these guys.
Fortunately, there are those amongst us film fans who are working to remedy this British void. Entertainment website WhatCulture! is currently midway through a scheme known as The British Film Registry. Its aim is simple: five classic films and two acting personalities of British cinema are to be inducted annually to a virtual vault, based on the casting votes of the public. In this sense, this welcome scheme is the people’s to shape as they please; it represents a consensus that only the people can reflect.
So, as ‘the people’, it is your responsibility to ensure that only the greatest amongst the great are inducted into this revolutionary movement. Click here to ensure that your vote is cast, lest the consequences be too dire to consider.